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This $20 DIY ring light isn’t the kind of ring light you think it is – it’s for light painting

When we hear the term “ring light” in photography, one thing immediately springs to mind and it offers a very distinctive look. But there is also another type, which isn’t meant to wrap around your lens to create that “shadowless” (which isn’t really) beam of fill light coming directly from your camera, and that’s what Pye Jirsa shows us how to make in this video.

It’s an interesting idea, basically wrapping a string of lights around a ring to create a unique look. And sure, while you could potentially try to use it like a traditional ring light, it won’t do much good, as those little LEDs aren’t going to light a subject very well from any kind of distance. But for light painting? Well, that’s where it really shines.

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How to build your own giant Roger Deakins style DIY ring light

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Ring lights are a big love-hate thing in the world of photography. Some people are actually quite passionate about the catchlight it can present in a subject’s eyes – believing that there’s only one way to use a ring light. But ring lights can produce some wonderful light on your scene, especially when used off-camera.

And that’s how this giant ring light is intended to be used. Inspired by Oscar-winning DP, Roger Deakins, Todd at Shutterstock shows us how to build our own in this video. It’s fairly straightforward to do if you’re comfortable with basic tools.

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Build the easiest DIY ring light ever for less than $20

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We have shared plenty of great ideas for making your own DIY ring light.  Now, another cheap and quick solution comes from The Lighting Channel. They have shared a tutorial on making your own ring light using only three items, and it’s all done in a couple of minutes. And it’s not only quick and easy to make, but the components will cost you less than $20.

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Make a Square DIY Ring Light for Under $10

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I got the inspiration for the square ring light from a trip to Vegas. The hotel bathroom had a light that ran the perimeter of the giant rectangle mirror.  I noticed the square ring catchlight in my eye and found it really interesting and wanted to reproduce this. A dozen (ok, maybe 2-3) different ideas ran through my head on how to build something the square ring light.  I settled on good ole fashioned Foamcore for the test run.

Square and Ring? I know, it’s not exactly the best term for it, but I couldn’t think of what else to call it. So here it is, the Square Ring Light.

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How To Build A Kick Ass 4 Feet DIY Ring Light

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Ring lights have a very specific light signature. Mostly it is connected with fashion photography as it gives out a very flattering light. The light is coming from around the lens, but since it is symmetrical it seems as if the light is coming right from the center of the lens.

Small strobe powered ring lights can be used for stills but if you want something really impressive, you would go with a huge wooden bulb-driven ring light. While those are a bit harder to transport, they give out a spectacular light that can also be used for video.

(Oh, and make sure to check out those crazy catch lights at the sample pictures at the end of the post!)[Read More…]

Create Stunning Stars In Your Eyes With a DIY Ring Light

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Until today there was only one way I knew of to put starts in my eyes – to get a hefty blow to the jaw from the guy you just shot candid.

Until today, that is. Until I saw Laya Gerlock‘s amazing Stars Ring Light.  Fortunately for us DIYers, when Laya heard what we need to get through to see stars, he agreed to share the making of this beautiful modifier.

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The LEDCard is a pocket-sized DIY macro ringlight for your smartphone

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This looks like a fun little project for the electronics-inclined. It’s called the LEDCard, and it’s a credit card-sized macro ring light for your phone that wraps around your smartphone camera’s lens. And if you don’t have a smartphone capable of macro-focusing, don’t worry! LEDCard’s creator, MisterHW, has thought of you, too, with a recess to insert a moulded acrylic lens to help you focus closer.

The whole thing lives on a single PCB and uses rechargeable LIR2430 Lithium-Ion cells, which charge up over USB. Upon charging, the LEDCard requires no wires or cables. It’s turned on or off by the simple push of a button, and an LM3410 LED driver IC lights up all of the SMD LEDs, illuminating the view around your lens for close-up subjects.

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How to make your own colour changing DIY LED ring light for under $30

Ring lights can be a lot of fun, and they’ve certainly become more popular over the last few years, especially for video. And while ring lights have come down in price a lot, you’re still looking around at least $110 for a basic one that can only do daylight and tungsten (if you’re lucky).

But what if you could make one for less than $30 that would give you every could you could think of? That’s what YouTuber Peter Drazy does in this video, using just an off-the-shelf strip of LEDs and a wire frame for making wreaths. Oh and a whole lot of sticky tape.

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How to make a DIY triangle LED “ring” light for less than $100

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The ring lights are useful when you need even light on the subject’s face and the circular catchlights. We’ve featured several DIY ring lights so far, But Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter decided to make something a bit different.

He made a DIY triangular “ring” light, which produces the same even light on the face, but creates interesting, triangular catchlights. The total cost of the components was around $92 (it could get even less), and he explains the process step by step, so I’m sure everyone could make this in no time.

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